There are a variety of network switch devices. A gateway is a communications device which manages the flow of information between two networks. A wireless gateway is a device that connects broadband access to a local wireless network. An access point, the wireless equivalent of a hub, is a means of entry into a controlled security area, consisting of a card reader, monitor switches and/or latches, and is wired to an access control panel. A router is a device that connects networks and forwards through packet data. A bridge is a protocol independent switch between two networks. A brouter is a device that functions as both a bridge and a router.
Currently, configuration settings, including specifying different profiles, network names, and encryption settings, are performed on a PC-by-PC (personal computer) basis. One case where configuration settings need to be transferred is when the PC changes from a direct hook up to a network to a hookup through a network switching device. Using a network switching device offers a number of advantages, including better resource management and thwarting hacker attacks.
In the past, users, who had an existing PC connected to a broadband modem and then bought a residential gateway (network router) to share the Internet connection, often had to manually program the router with the same ISP (Internet Service Provider) settings as the broadband provider originally set up on the PC. These ISP settings included values like host name, domain name, IP address settings, etc. Written documentation of the required customer-specific settings from the ISP was often confusing.
Other prior art solutions involving a more user friendly approach have been tried. One involved, to a limited degree, the MAC address “clone” feature found on the user interface of some network routers. This feature reads the MAC address of the PC on which it is running, and then programs the same MAC address on the routers WAN-side NIC (wide area network) (network interface card). These settings are always a user-option, actually typically hidden from the user in an advanced section. Another, the D-Link DI-701 Residential Gateway, provides a graphical user interface for transferring the Internet settings of the computer previously attached to the broadband modem to the residential gateway. Yet another, the 2Wire HomePortal Residential Gateway, is pre-configured to work with a variety of broadband service providers, has an integrated broadband modem within the gateway, and may be configured for access to the Internet by entering one unique code.
However, none of the prior art discloses a method for automatically gathering the WAN configuration or other network configuration of the PC previously attached to the broadband modem or otherwise directly connected to the WAN or other network and programming the WAN configuration or other network configuration onto the residential gateway or network switch.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a means to simply and transparently transfer the network configuration settings from a PC to its corresponding network switch, such as a residential gateway.